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Meet our Resident Raptors
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Bald Eagle - "Hitch"
Hitch came to ORC 2009. He is 4 years old and came to us from Arkansas with bi-lateral cataracts, some head trauma, and both wings had improperly healed fractures. Surgery was done on his eyes, so he can see again, but he is non-releasable and unable to fly with his wing injuries. Hitch has become a wonderful asset as an Ambassador Bald Eagle in ORC's Wildlife Education Program.
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Tito is in our care due to tree trimming at the wrong time of year. Barn owls are cavity nesters, so require a cavity to go into. If they can’t find one, they typically use palm trees in California. A tree trimmer was shaving the fronds off and a nest of young owls fell to the ground, Tito was the only survivor, but suffered a broken wing and leg. This made him non-releasable, and he joined the ORC team of ambassadors’ to educate about when to trim trees!
Ojai Raptor Center receives about 100 baby barn owls from palm trees and off hay trucks, AND OUT OF BUILDINGS each year.
Barn owls catch an average of 1000 rodents per year each!
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American Kestrel - Falco sparverius
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Bob, left, is a male American Kestrel.
Kira, right, is a female. |
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Bob and Kira both came to ORC in 2005 as imprints, (meaning they were hand raised by a well-meaning person that turned them loose.) When imprinted, birds do not recognize their own species or predators, cannot hunt, and think humans are their species. They both landed on a people in Ventura when they could not find food and were so used to being hand fed by a human,that is where they automatically went to for food when they got hungry. Luckily they were turned in to the Ojai Raptor Center for care.
Listen to a Kestrel
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Great Horned Owl - Bubo virginianus
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Dakota and Luna are Great Horned Owls that have imprinted on humans. Every year we receive several birds that have been kept in captivity during the critical imprint stage when they should be forging connections with their own species. We will never be able to release Dakota and Luna because they will approach people when hungry. Imagine one landing on your shoulder to share your ice cream! Also, because they do not relate to other Great Horned Owls, they would probably never find mates. Dakota is seven years old. They will live to about 35 years in captivity.
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Swainson's Hawk - Buteo Swainsoni
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Kramer came to us from a raptor rehabilitation facility in Nebraska with a wing fracture that had never healed properly. ORC networks with other educators and rehabilitators to place ambassador education candidates. We were happy to receive Kramer, as his personality is an asset to our continuing education presentations. Kramer is two years old.
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Crested Caracaras are native to Texas, Florida, Mexico, New Mexico and Chile. ORC networks with other Centers all over the States to help place birds that have to stay in captivity the rest of their lives due to an injury.
Austin came to us from Texas, missing a wing tip. He will not fly again. Caracara’s are listed in the Falcon family, but are really more like a buzzard, as they run on the ground a lot. Austin joined ORC in 2008 as our newest education ambassador.
"Austin" - Nonreleasable
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Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus
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Horus came to ORC as a young falcon that had been kept by someone during the time he should have been training to hunt. He was placed in a falconry program (we work with local falconers, as there is no cage large enough for a peregrine) and flown to condition for release. One night he was spooked into the bars of his mew (cage) we believe by a raccoon, and scraped his eye which resulted in a corneal ulcer. His vision is compromised and he cannot be released now.
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Ferruginous Hawk - Buteo regalis
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While migrating through the Ojai area, Jackson was hit by a car, which broke both of his wings. A veterinarian set them, but one did not heal completely. Jackson further injured himself when he tried to escape a wire cage he had been placed in. This took off the top of his cere, which will never regenerate. Raptors should never been kept in wire cages because they can damage their beaks and feathers. Jackson is 18 years old.
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"Jackson" - Nonreleasable
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Harris Hawk - Parabuteo unicinctus
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Rio had a collision with a building and broke her wing, and it did not heal correctly. Harris hawks are very threatened by urban sprawl, they do not adapt very well to us encroaching on their habitat. We received Rio from Arizona, where they are native to, from another center that did to have space to keep her in their program.
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Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos
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Shytan will never fly again because he severed his right wing on a power line as he was flying after his prey. Raptors focus in on their prey and do not see things like power lines, windows and cars.Shytan has been in captivity for 20 years, and was an adult when he came in, so we are unable to tell how old he is. Golden Eagles could live up to 50 years in captivity. Golden’s are masterful hunters and one of our most majestic birds of prey.
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Western Screech Owl -Otus kennicotti
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"Lucy" - Nonreleasable
Lucy came to us as a young juvenile. She was found under her nest cavity injured in the head. An exam by a veterinarian, found that both eyes had been punctured and she will not be able to see well enough to hunt. She can find her food in an aviary, and can fly perch to perch, but would be predated upon if let go in the wild. Screech owls actually make a whistling vocalization, and the Barn owls are the ones that scream.
See more photos of Lucy here
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Merlin - Falco columbaris
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Maggie came in with a fractured wing that did not heal 100%. Since merlin falcons need to travel all the way to South America it is critical that they can fly accurately and hunt sufficiently. She came to ORC in 2008 as a first year bird. She steps into the ambassador position of Merlin that recently passed away at the old age of 15 yrs.
"Maggie"
Nonreleasable
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Red-Tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
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Sasquatch was held for months in a small cage and fed an improper diet by someone who did not know how to care for a raptor. His wings and legs were broken and he could not stand. We made a special harness for him to hang in while undergoing physical therapy five times a day. After six weeks, he was able to perch on his own, but he will never again be able to fly. Sasquatch is an excellent education ambassador, helping to demonstrate the need to handle injured birds of prey correctly. He has been in our care for seven years. Life exptectancy is 25-30 years.
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Red-Shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus
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Lucky, a Red-Shouldered hawk, was found and raised by a couple that did not know this could cause imprinting. It is critical to get wild animals to licensed rehabilitators so that they can be raised correctly on the right diets, and housed in the proper caging together with the same species, so that they do not become imprinted on people. Imprinting is our most preventable injury as it is caused directly by humans, and the animal cannot be released back to the wild if this happens.
"Lucky"
Non-releasable
Listen to a Red Shouldered Hawk
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Handsome is another imprint (our most preventable injury). He was found in Louisville, Kentucky and turned over to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center there after the person had kept him for about a week. Vultures are very social and imprint quickly, he ran from the vulture chicks he was put in with, to the volunteers at the center. He is a young vulture and will not get his completely red head for a few more years
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OJAI RAPTOR CENTER (ORC) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation, licensed by California State Fish & Game and U.S. Federal Fish & Wildlife. The Center is funded entirely through private donations.
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